An executive at the Rutland Regional Medical Center will serve as Vermont’s next health commissioner, Gov. Phil Scott announced on Friday.
Dr. Rick Hildebrant of Clarendon will take over at the Vermont Department of Health next month, filling the void left by Dr. Mark Levine, who retired in March.
An internal medicine physician, Hildebrant currently serves as the Rutland hospital’s chief medical information officer and medical director of hospital medicine. He holds a doctor of medicine and a master of business administration and has a “proven track record of leading healthcare innovation and transformation,” Scott said in a press release.
“I believe both his clinical and medical experience will be valuable assets as we continue to navigate the public health challenges facing Vermont,” Scott said.
The appointment comes at a time when state and local public health agencies are reeling amid federal funding cuts and chaos at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a statement, Hildebrant described his appointment as a tremendous honor and sounded an optimistic note. “Even as public health leadership faces challenges nationally, Vermont has consistently demonstrated that collaboration, science, and community can chart a different course,” he wrote.
“I look forward to working with Governor Scott, the dedicated staff at the Department of Health, and my colleagues across the Agency of Human Services to build on this tradition and keep Vermont among the healthiest states in the nation,” he said.
Scott also announced two other changes to his cabinet that will take effect on September 22.
Kendal Smith will become commissioner of the Department of Labor, where she has worked as a deputy commissioner since January after eight years as Scott’s director of policy and legislative affairs.
Chris Winters, meanwhile, is stepping down as commissioner of the Department for Children and Families to take a role as a deputy in the labor department.
It will be Winters’ latest stop in state government following nearly a decade with the Secretary of State’s Office and a two-year tenure at the helm of DCF. The latter role, one of the more thankless jobs in state government, saw Winters overseeing the contentious rollback of the state’s homeless motel program. He also ran for secretary of state in 2022.
Sandi Hoffman, deputy commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access, will take over as interim DCF commissioner.